[Brightcolours]

Am I the only one to think that the issue is way overblown anyway? I have to admit I'm shooting only 1.3x and 1.6x crop cameras but even on 1.3 the DOF is a constant headache even at medium apertures (like f/5.6) when using a f/2.8 telezoom. Shoot anything even somewhat 3-dimensional or angular to the focus plane, and you run into issues. I was sifting through old pictures a few days ago and ran into a bunch of examples with large areas being OOF. Or there was a lizard picture shot from above, almost parallel to the body - all of the critter in focus EXCEPT for the (slightly raised) head which was totally OOF despite the aperture presumably being nowhere near wide open (since it was a sunny day).

Now, if you need some extreme situation - like shooting full body portrait with normal to wide lens, and wanting to separate it from a not-too-distant background - then, of course, you'd be clutching at every straw. But remember that this lens - the 40-150 that started this thread - is a journalistic telezoom (in fact, a pal of mine who works for the country's foremost agency is using this lens on an Olympus OMD body alongside 1DX), and for journalistic use, more DOF is usually better, not less.

"Journalistic use" is not equal to creativity?

 

I used my 70-200mm f4 on APS-C often wide open. It does not mean everyone has to, it means that it allows for that creative freedom. That you might find shallow DOF to be silly, perhaps, is your own taste. But the concept of a lens offering more options to have more creative potential certainly should be clear?

 





The large aperture allows for creative choice. It is a very simple concept...